the invisible barn by STPMJ mirrors the californian woodland

the invisible barn by STPMJ mirrors the californian woodland
all images courtesy of STPMJ

the site specific folly ‘the invisible barn’ by new york-based architects STPMJ, can be spotted in tahoe national forest, california. blended into its wooded surroundings, the structure uses reflective film, to mirror the sky, trees and scenery around it. shaped as a thin, long parallelogram, the only clearly visible feature is its different sized, plywood-framed openings which accentuate the differentiation between the real and mirrored landscape.

the reflective material mirrors the trees and sky around it

composed of wood studs and sheathing, the structure is crafted using prefabricated components for the floors, walls and openings making it fast and easy to assemble. the illusion created by this interesting structure blurs the limits between the folly and site, but at the same time, encourages interaction through sitting and standing within the timber apertures to enjoy the balance between the natural and the man-made.

read our previous article on the ‘invisible barn’ here.

the folly uses materiality and its context to draw a new scene derived from the existing landscape

the structure is comprised of 2×4 wood studs and sheathing

wood framed piece is connected to a pressure treated wood pier on a concrete footing which is buried underground

shaped as a long parallelogram to elude the dense trees

the openings allow visitors to perceive the subtle differences between the real and the mirrored landscape

as people begin to move away, users will slowly recognize a space within the grove that reflects

visitors are invited to sit within the timber openings